Sanford, Legislature play he said/they said gameBy Brian Hicks (Contact)
The Post and Courier
Friday, August 29, 2008
 Gov. Mark Sanford told members of the Legislature they had to quit spending state money like drunken sailors because there were budget problems a-coming. They said he was grand-standing, they were prudent stewards of the budget. They called him Chicken Little. They passed a budget. Earlier this month, the Budget and Control Board voted for a 3 percent across-the-board cut because South Carolina's economic forecast is about as sunny as the reports of Gustav in New Orleans. Chicken Little could be clucking right now — if it weren't rude to make fun of other people's misery. He says the system is broken. Sanford says lawmakers promise their friends anything and everything. When the going gets tough, they hide behind the Budget and Control Board and across-the-board cuts. They don't have to be the bad guys. "It's the best of all possible worlds for a politician," Sanford said. He says the chickens have come home to roost. He says they should come back in special session, foregoing their per diem to save money, and fix the budget. Not only would that save money, that would make them work faster. Nothing worse than Columbia on your own dime. He says he doesn't have to call a special session because they passed a resolution allowing them to come back to amend the budget. They say he couldn't call a special session if he wanted to because they are, technically, in session until Oct. 31 — and he can't call them back while they are technically in session. But they say they can't come back because the trigger on the resolution is a 4 percent change in state revenue. Right now, it's at 3 percent. He says if they wait until January to make course corrections, they will ostensibly have to give all agencies at least a 1.5 percent cut, even though education and prisons should not face any cuts. He says not all tax dollars are equal. That the state shouldn't pay for a vacation for German politicians at the expense of prison woes. He says there should be money to put gas in school buses before the kids end up pushing them. Or until they catch fire. They say there is no sense in going back into session until there is a new spending plan for the General Assembly to vote on, one that the governor will approve. If the Legislature passes something that Sanford does not like, he will veto it and lawmakers will have wasted time and money and accomplished nothing. They say they don't trust the governor anymore. The voters say pass expensive new programs like immigration reform and cut taxes. The Legislature does it. The Board of Economic Advisors points out that the budget shortfall is almost exactly the same amount as the revenue lost to tax cuts. They say they are doing the will of the people. And they are. Sanford says they aren't managing the Statehouse like South Carolinians have to run their own houses. He says he is speaking up for the state residents who suffer from these budget cuts. He says he's not holding his breath for any targeted budget cuts in January. They have leaders who promise to fix this problem. But their job is admittedly like herding cats. Getting 170 people to agree on lunch is sometimes impossible. Both sides say that something here has to change. Reach Brian Hicks at bhicks@postandcourier.com. |
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Comments
This article has 9 comment(s)
Posted by zoomru on August 29, 2008 at 7:58 a.m. (Suggest removal)
WHAT ....?????
"....They say they don't trust the governor anymore. .."
SO !!!
YOU....(yes YOU....Harrell-asa and McConnell-ista!) mean to tell us that we are NOW supposed to trust YOU !!!
LOL LOL LOL ...!! MY BACKSIDE !!!!!
Glenn and Bobby and the "wallet clubbers" ...WE highly suggest you get all of your "fannies" back up to Columbia and get to WORK !! WE.. are working !! If I have to remind you again ...I WILL ! You Lead from the FRONT. Stop hangin' out at the "PIG Trough". You have the GALL to envoke TRUST? TRUST !!!!???
Well....rule number 8 in political WARFARE is...
Trust is only found in how YOU vote !! PERIOD !!!!
Mark.... you should have been doing this from DAY 1 !! I know that you are OUR .."MILD" mannered Governor; but in all honesty it is that "FRANKLY..Legislators...I don't give a CRAP! ANYMORE!" .... TIME !!!!
Mark...ol' Bobby thinks its "SKULL Cracking" time for HIM!?
Ha ! You grab this scoundrel by the EAR...and...PINCH !!! You let him know that the only thing WE hear is the cracking of a whip on his BACKSIDE!! YOU NEED LINE ITEM VETO...NOW !!! Mark, we need to hear a drumbeat from you on ENERGY. ALL Forms of energy. PLASMA, COASTAL WINDFARMS, BIO-fuel, Nulclear, SOLAR, OIL, Natural GAS and we need to hear it LOUDLY !!! Talk is CHEAP so show us what is going on in OUR state right NOW and when it will be ONLINE. OUR state is going to LEAD in something that is IMPLEMENTED and being USED. ..RIGHT!!??
EVERYONE in Columbia.... DO MORE WITH LESS. WE ARE !!
CUT ...TAXES !!!
Posted by lou9 on August 29, 2008 at 10:06 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The legislature sends pork laden bills to the Governor and when he takes his veto knife and cuts out the fat he is the one that gets blamed for nothing happening. This sounds just like Washington. Harrell and McConnell are using the same playbook as Pelosi and Reid. Keep trying to fight the good fight Mark.
Posted by oldglory on August 29, 2008 at 10:09 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I'd suggest that ALL politicians cut out their 'write-off' lunches and dinners, their 'write-off' trips with no real purpose, and maybe lose a few friends 'who scratch their backs'.
Enjoyed your posts, Thomas and zoom.
Posted by oldglory on August 29, 2008 at 10:11 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Yours too, lou9!
Posted by tc1 on August 29, 2008 at 10:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)
"If the Legislature passes something that Sanford does not like, he will veto it and lawmakers will have wasted time and money and accomplished nothing."
Each year Sanford says the legislature is spending to much and vetoes many obvious pork items. This past year he warned them that this year in particular did not look promising. Each year the legislature takes no more then a day to call each veto up and immeadiately overide it without discussion. That shows him who runs this state! Suddenly they say there is no reason for them to make harder choices then they would have been because they refused to make them in the first place because he would veto them?? Suddenly his veto is all powerfull??
SC government is run by a committee, the legislature, not by an executive responsible to the entire state. A committee composed of individuals beholding to only small individual pieces of the state. This is good IF there is a balance.
Governor Sanford explained it very simply and clearly, as usual, a few years ago. Our state constitution was written after the civil war to make sure that if a black man or yankee ever got to be governor they would have no power.
Posted by zoomru on August 29, 2008 at 10:53 a.m. (Suggest removal)
OLDGLORY....
you may need to call up one of your "Old Flags" and call for it to be displayed and draped with honor and LEAD the March on Columbia! Sounds like Mark needs all the help he can get! Our battle cry will be "TAXPAYER First or..DIE!"
This cess pool of Fish in a barrel we have in Columbia needs to be target practice. (Figuratively ONLY!) They need to hear stern words from sweaty taxpayers!! We don't mind doing Mark's dirty work. Or any other Governor for that matter!
These hoots treat OUR state like CHEAP ..DIRT !!
MY BACKSIDE !!!
Posted by STREETLAW on August 29, 2008 at 11:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Trust the Govenor? That would be like trusting any politician. I've learned that is hardly possible in South Carolina. If there was an index of political corruption in the USA, SC would be one of the worst.
Take the 2006 election for the Town of James Island, for example. If you want to see what kind if people are running that town, get copies of their financial disclosures as candidates and see if any of them mentioned the large expenditure for a campaign ad they paid for in the Post and Courier. This information is available under the freedom of information rules. See if you think there was a conspiracy to obstruct justice in this matter and if a lawyer, a minister, the mayor and other public officials were involved. I mean how could they all just forget to disclose this expenditure. But I guess anything is possible. If the forms on file do not reflect this, there is a good chance they have been tampered with.
Also take note of the time frame for filing disclosures, and the penalty for not doing so under the law, and the absence of certain reports and financial accounts mandated by candidates with over $500 in expenditures and the associated penalties. By my calculation, these people might owe at least 300 days at $100 a day in penalties.
Then ask yourself if these people are law abiding citizens, considering this was not their first time to run for office and they should have been well versed in the law. Consider if your money is safe with them. Anyone, of course, can make a mistake. And anyone can be arrogant. These people are suppose to be good upstanding citizens and qualified to understand and administer the complexities of a municipality.
Also, if you think they may have broken some laws ask why the SC Ethics Commission, if duly notified of their transgressions, has failed to act in a timely manner.
It is absolutely amazing what people can get away with under the mantle of official right. But maybe if enough people would take the time to look into these matters and ask questions, things might be different.
I'm sure all these people may have friends in high places and may be able to get away with it for a while. But who knows when someone who is concerned about decency in government may not have a few friends who are placed where it matters most? The SC Supreme Court will make the ultimate decision.
Posted by tc1 on August 29, 2008 at 1:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I have no connection to JI. This is the second time I have seen this post. If your accusations are correct, I have no idea, I can't help but wonder why after Riley has spent all the tax dollars he has to prevent the town from existing he has not dug this up and made an issue of it?
Posted by GreenvilleGirl on August 29, 2008 at 5:14 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Our legislature is a joke. They have placed themselves above the citizens they are supposed to represent. Heck, I have one State Senator who owes me almost $4000.....he's living high on the hog off my money AND my tax dollars.
I still think we should sue our legislature for misconduct in office. I rarely agree with politicians, but Sanford is right in this case.